Telltale
by ReadingWhiz89
Summary: I am not mad. Do not think me so. Do not, for I am quite sane. Even after all I have witnessed and experienced, I am still the same. Calm, rational, in every way sane.


Disclaimer: Trigun and all of its characters belong to the almighty Yasuhiro Nightow, whom I am not, and I make no claims saying that I am. In other words, I am NOT him. Nor am I Edgar Allen Poe, upon who's short story "The Telltale Heart" this fic is based. So, no sueing, angry emails, or plain meanness because of this fic. Thank you.

A/N: Well, my friends, I present to you yet ANOTHER one-shot, and it is my first attempt at horror. So, be sure to concrit and tell me how I did. And for those of you waiting for an update from _Life Thereafter_, expect one next week, for I am no longer on hiatus!

And now, on to the fic! (Oh, and I dare you people to guess who is speaking and which Trigunverse this is before the story is over. Hehe…)

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**_Telltale_**

I am nervous, so very nervous. My anxiety heightens all the time, but no, I am not mad. Do not think me so. Do not, for I am quite sane. Even after all I have witnessed and experienced, I am still the same. Calm, rational, in every way sane. You do not believe me? Very well. I will tell you my plans, my intent. Yes, then you will see.

Then was it first conceived in my mind? I could not tell you since I have long since forgotten. However, it crept up upon me slowly as the days aboard the SEEDS ship passed. It was slight at first, ever so slight that I barely noticed it. Still, I should have noticed the telltale signs in her behavior. I should have, but I did not. Since then, I have cursed my own stupidity for not seeing it. But I did not see. How could I have known? Even though I am young enough to be a human infant, I look much older. Being different is a blessing…and a curse. But I digress.

As I was saying, it has been some time since that day, that day I first discovered why I was treated so differently. There was pain and abuse. I remember the coppery taste of blood on my tongue and cold hard steel, sterile yet akin to a block of ice. I have only recently begun to recover, and I am told that I will be fine. What they do not realize is that I AM fine. Yes. But they do not know. I do not want them to.

Sneaking along the corridors, I shiver, wrapping my hands about my shoulders, trying to ward off the chill. It is always cold here. I wish Vash was here, but no, I will not involve him in this. Besides, he would not approve of this anyway. Even though I am perfectly sound of mind, he would not think so. But no matter, soon I will be rid of her.

I stumble, my breath a low hiss as pain ricochets through me. I am still not completely well physically yet. It pains me when I walk, and the bandages I wear are signs of what I have endured. Why do I persist, you ask? It is because I have a goal in mind. Oh yes, and I will do whatever it takes to achieve it.

For the next couple of minutes, I glide noiselessly down the passageways, pausing only slightly to catch my breath or if I accidentally trip. I shove the pain away until it is nothing more than a dull throb. Oh, I am sure you must think me severely unbalanced now, wandering around in my condition. Once again, I tell you that I am not. Can you not see how stealthily I navigate the hallways? How silent I am? A mad person would not take so much care.

I slow, pausing as I slip around the corner. There it is: her room. Cautiously, staying close to the wall even as its smooth surface steals what little warmth I have from my small frame, I approach, clutching my tiny glowing lamp closer to myself, its heat faint. Then, with great skill, I tiptoe towards the door, the only light being the one in my hands, shadows clinging to the walls.

The door slides open silently, and I grin. I have been oiling the door mechanism for a long time in preparation for this moment. Oh yes, and now you see my brilliance. You see how conniving I have been. Could someone insane do this? I think not!

I tone down the brightness of my lamp as I shine it through the opening. My heart is thundering in my ears as I peak around the doorway. I can see her lying there, fast asleep, her breathing low and even. To my dismay, she is facing me, her long black locks of hair falling messily over her face. I shield my little light with my hand, narrowing my eyes at her.

Then, as if aware that someone was watching her, her eyes flew open, and I jerk away, sure now that I must have been caught. Her breathing is uneven and harsh now, but I can hardly hear over my own beating heart. I wish I could mute it!

"Who's there?"

My lips quirk upward upon hearing the terror in her voice, and I find myself to be sadistically pleased by the hint of irrational fear on the tip of her tongue. I remain still, however, not making a single noise. The moments tick by, drawing out into minutes. Sweat beads on my forehead, sometimes dripping down to sting my eyes, and I wonder how long I have been here. Minutes? Hours? I cannot tell.

Finally, when I have calmed myself and her soft breathing can be heard as a whisper from the room, I peer around once more, my lamp still in hand, shaking lightly. I sigh internally with relief when I see that she has fallen asleep once more. Still, as I evaluate her, my lips curl with disgust. How I do despise that woman!

Vash would always tell me that Rem is not at fault for anything that has happened in the past. I cannot bring myself to tell him otherwise. He is so innocent. They both are. But I will say nothing. I will instead do them both a favor. Oh yes. Yes.

I feel as though all of my senses have been heightened, probably because of how anxious I am. I steel myself against any feelings of weakness. I came for a reason. Tonight, it will end.

Wait...I hear something. I glance about frantically, thinking that I have been discovered. But, no one is there. What is that noise? That sound? It roars in my ears, so loud. I cannot take it! Make it stop! No…no…it…it is getting LOUDER! STOP IT!

Clutching my head, I grind my teeth together. I glare through the darkness, my eyes gleaming, at Rem. I despise her! She could have-! She should have-! That sound…it is HER. That tinkling laugh that would fool so many! That serene face! GET AWAY!

I let out an anguished howl as I pounce, pain ripping through me, but I no longer care. Rem's eyes snap open and widen in shock, then horror, as I grab an extra pillow and slam it into her face, smothering her against her own bed, her scream muffled. I bear down as hard as I can on her, ignoring it even as her spasming limbs thrash against me, tearing some of my wounds open.

Finally, Rem ceases, and her entire body goes limp. I blink, and I find myself strangely devoid of emotion as I remove the pillow from her visage, brown eyes staring sightlessly at me, her lips tinged blue.

I disentangle myself from the twisted sheets and glance about cautiously. Hopefully no one had heard the struggle. Still, I would make sure there was no evidence. Yes, I know what to do.

I quickly pulled the body off of the bed, taking care not to let it thump against the floor. Then, I began to make up the bed up, smoothing the sheets and comforter, careful to switch out any that have my blood on them. Checking outside of the room, I quickly latch by hands around her ankles and begin to drag her out. All I have to do now is drag her to the garbage disposal unit and dump her into the void of outer space. No one will ever know. Yes, what a stroke of brilliance this had been! I am not mad, you see.

"Ugh…what's going on?"

I freeze, my gaze snapping onto a figure about my size approaching. No, Vash. Not here. Not now!

"Nothing!" I say cheerfully. "Go back to bed, little brother."

He yawns as his brow creases quizzically. "I thought I heard-"

"I'm sure it was nothing!" I reassure him.

"But…"

"It's ok, Vash. Go on."

He sighs, his gaze wandering. No. No. Not there!

His eyes widen. "You…you…!"

"No! What happened!" another voice howled.

Oh no. No, not BOTH of them! "It's not what it looks like!"

"The hell it isn't! Tessla! How could you do this!"

I watch helplessly as both of my little brothers break down in front of my very eyes and begin to cry, draping themselves over her corpse. No. It is not supposed to be like this. It was…my plan was perfect! Perfect! They were not supposed to know! But…

Why are they crying for HER? I am the one who was experimented on, the one who barely survived! That bitch could have saved me, but she never did! She deserves to be dead! She does!

As the tears continue to course down their cheeks, their wails echoing throughout the cold, empty ship, I begin to laugh. At first it is a small thing, but then the volume increases until finally, I scream, a bloodcurdling sound that reverberates across my very soul.

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Hahaha, surprised you guys, didn't I? XD 


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